Ball Staffer Responds to Letter and Fake Email Dispute

A South Salem resident has called out the office of state senator Greg Ball, who represents New York's 40th District, for mishandling a letter she sent to him, reprinting it without her permission, and creating a fake email account in her name, according to the Lewisboro Ledger.

Robyn Fields said she had written a private letter to Sen. Ball on May 22 thanking him for his help in finding a new group living situation for their daughter, who has special needs. The letter, which contained personal contact and medical information, was sent out without her permission by Ball's office to local media outlets under a fake email account using her name, she said.

Patch was not a recipient of the letter.

Dan Branda, the staff member who created the account and sent the letter, released a written statement Monday saying Fields "explicitly agreed during our phone conversation to write a letter to the editor for the purpose of publication. She also chose to have me submit the letter on her behalf, and she was fully informed how I would do so."

But Fields and her husband, Robert Fields, said that wasn't true, and they have a taped phone conversation revealing otherwise.

Robert Fields told the Ledger that he recorded a conversation between himself and Branda, in which he was asked to prevent the senator's name from "being in the papers negatively."

After asking the Ledger to remove the letter from its website, Ball's office then sent a copy of the letter to the New York Daily News, where it was printed in full, then later retracted given the personal information included. Robyn Fields released a statement Monday evening.

"After all that has happened, Senator Ball’s office clearly knew that I would have objected to them sending the letter to the Daily News or to any other organization...We find Senator Ball’s actions to be appalling and despicable."

Ball's chief of staff, Jim Coleman, released a statement received by Patch Tuesday afternoon, saying that Branda was placed on temporary probation, but they were standing by his affirmation that the letter was published with the Fields' permission.

The full text is below:

"The bottom-line is that this office moved heaven and earth to help this family, and it is an absolute fact that the letter printed was the actual and unedited letter provided to our staffer by this constituent.

While this has become a 'he said, she said' our office has proactively apologized for any miscommunication, taken the extra step of placing this young staffer in question on temporary probation, had this staffer issue a formal apology to the family and instituted protocols to protect against future failures in communication.

It must be repeated, however, that while we do not question the integrity or political purposes of the constituents involved, our young staffer affirms that Ms. Fields letter was distributed with her authorization. Indeed, we have provided the original letter from this constituent, thanking Senator Ball for his work on behalf of this family, to the public.

We will continue to represent Senator Ball in a professional manner by working hard for this family and all of Senator Ball’s constituents.”

The 40th District includes the Westchester towns of Bedford, Somers, Yorktown, Cortlandt, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, North Salem and Pound Ridge, all of Putnam County and part of Dutchess County.